Inge didn't really have that many options if they were to stay at this dorm. She had to ask one of their other dorm mates to switch places with Samantha and move to the sorority. If she were to choose freely, she would have chosen to get rid of the biggest slob in their dorm – Omar – but there was no way the sorority would accept him.. for obvious reasons.. so her only choices were the only two women at their dorm, Liz Taylor and Ayana Yuki..
Inge didn't want to lie to Ayana, so she figured her best strategy
would be honesty and say it as it is, besides, pretty much everyone
on campus who had heard the name Hannah Germanotta knew what a
monster she could sometimes be.. not a strong selling point to
convince Ayana, but it was the truth. Inge had no reason to hide why
she was asking – to make sure that Samantha stayed in a place that
was more likely to accept her for she was..
Ayana knew that Hannah wasn't the kind to change – once she had
decided she didn't like someone, that was it. A common interest in
arts wasn't nearly enough and wouldn't change anything – Samantha
and Hannah would never become friends with how things had turned out.
"Look, I know Hannah can be a a little abonimable on occasion
.. but you don't need to worry. I can handle her.. She's not the
sharpest tool, people like that usually aren't... and I don't have a
degree in communaction for nothing... I think I know what buttons to
push should she try to start something. After all, I have dealt with
her kind before..."
"..besides, I might not even stay that long if this job application to the Lake Post comes through... so in the meantime, sure, I can do you both this favour.."
Inges notes:
I couldn't believe it! I wasn't really expecting her to... I
definately owe her one for this. I really hope she gets that job.. if
only there was something I could do to help her get it. She deserves
it, that's definite. Unfortunately I don't know anyone working at the
newspaper or have any contacts that are journalists here in town...
unless she would.. unless she would come with us to Sunset
Valley...
-------------
Oliver Freddys morning had started much earlier than Inges, as he
had gotten up to tend to his little garden – which he now didn't
have to leave behind thanks to his girlfriend and the deal she just
made with Ayana.
He was still in the dark about this deal as he was already at his lecture by the time it was being made – focused on relearning everything he knew about the human anatomy to pass his exams this semester.. so that he could one day combine his knowledge of plants... and humans.. to become one..
---------------
Inge was satisfied with her most recent achievement – getting
Samantha out of the sorority and away from Hannah – and already
felt she had accomplished a lot today already, but there was still a
textbook to study and exams to prepare for... but alteast she could
get it done feeling at ease out in the calm gentle spring
sun...
..before heading over to the parking lot to place some more brush
strokes on her painting as a protest against the dull, the grey, the
dirty and the fossilized elements of the world, destroying everything
that is green, pleasant and peaceful...
At the sorority Samantha had just received the message that Inges
deal had come through, and was now walking the rounds to say goodbye
to the other girls.. not everyone was happy with this...
...in spite of Samanthas promises that they would all (minus Hannah) still remain friends and see each other around on campus.... It was a sisterhood after all, and as freshmen way back then they had all made a vow to each other...was she going to break it now?
..how dared she!? After all this time, was she going to betray them for that loser and her nerdy weird boyfriend!? Out!!
Well.... she was definately getting out now... no turning back to this..
She would be getting out of there now as fast as she could, after
she had given her replacement the proper introduction and a tour
around the house and showing her where her new bed would now be.. no
regrets, time to leave..
-------
In the meantime Inge had attended another lecture in drawing outside by the fountain, before heading back to the dorm to watch her favourite cooking show alongside Oliver Freddy, who yet again had his nose down in one of his science books..
Just minutes later Samantha had arrived outside the De Anda Hall to walk in through the back door from the parking space to join Inge in watching another episode of her favourite cooking show..
Not necessarily Samanthas favourite show or activity, she would rather go fishing again, like they did last summer, and she said she knows just the place..
..now that they live under the same roof, they are as close to family as they could get, so she may as well just take her there...
Inge wouldn't mind going there, all three of them – to wherever
it is – to try their luck and catch a few fish..
..but before she can show them the way, Samantha has to make sure
of one thing... is Inge absolutely positive that she's going to marry
Oliver Freddy to build a family with him once they've graduated?
Because if not, he can't tag along... it's a place for trusted family
only...
"Do we both study art?" Inge asked rhetorically. "Of course I will.. that has been the plan since before we got here.. It was his idea for us to go to university in the first place. If it wasn't for that we might have been a small family already... but I'm really grateful for being here, it has been a blast so far and.."
"Alright, then lets go" Samantha interrupted and lept up from the couch before Inge got to finish. "We'll take your car, but I'll be giving the directions, so hurry up!"
With Samantha as the backseat driver they were guided out towards the edges of the town, and then up towards the mountains...
"Just take a left before that old water tower and then keep
going..."
"This is it. Just stop right there ahead of that taxi..."
Samantha said, still giving directions.
"Why?" Oliver Freddy asked a little nervously. "What
is that taxi doing there, out in the middle of nowhere? Where are you
taking us to?"
"Relax.." Samantha said as Inge pulled the car over to
the side of the road right in front of the taxi "It's just some
family from out of town. They'll be leaving soon and we'll get the
spot to ourselves."
"Your family?" Oliver Freddy
asked again.
"Yes.." Samantha said. "Something like that."
"Our spot is just up the hill there to our right. Now
that I'm with you, you can't miss it. Just make another right turn
once your up top by the trees."
Inges notes:
For some reason Samantha let us run
ahead up the hill. Just as I had come high enough to see the small
lake ahead of me, I stopped to feel the rain and ponder if it would
be good or bad for fishing – or if the rain having an impact on the
fish was just a myth. It was raining pretty heavily so if it did mean
something for the fishing, we should notice it soon enough. I thougt
then and there that it had to be good for fishing. I mean, why else
would Samantha take us up here on a day like this?
There was only one thing to do. Put on some warm, dry clothing and
get the rod out.. and just hope that this rainstorm also didn't come
with thunder and lightning... However, Samantha seemed to have
another idea. so I guess fishing in the rain is not a good idea after
all?
"Guys.. it's raining to hard to have any luck catching fish
today" she said as she ran off. "It's gonna stir up the mud
and prevent the fish from biting. Unless you want to dive in and
catch them old school, follow me, I got a better
idea..."
I was confused.. "Hey... where are you going?" I shouted after her as she disappeared into some shrubs. "You want us to follow you in there?"
"You'll see", she said from inside the shrubs. "There's a ladder here. Just follow me."
"A ladder...? In there...? Why... and where does it go...?" I asked, wondering if this was some kind of trick, or what it was..
"This place is secret, that's why." I heard her say
from somewhere below me.
"Is there really a ladder here? Where did you go?" I
called back to her.
"I've gone down the ladder." she
replied from down below. "Just feel your way, you'll find it."
"Ok... I've found it... I think....but where does it lead to?
What is down here...?" I asked, while grabbing on to what felt
like it could be a wooden ladder, before slowly extending my right
foot to feel for something to put it on..
"Oh... not much, just a little.. family hideout let's say...
I can see your foot, just a little lower and you'll find the step.."
she called back to me from her hideout. "See, there you go.."
she said as my foot landed on a step. "Now it's just like a
regular ladder all the way down..."
"Alright..." I said nervously while gently lowering
my left foot hoping to reach another step. I would eventually get the
hang of it – luckily this was one of those ladders with an even
distance between the steps.. and I know I should have trusted
Samantha more than I did, but she was acting so mysterious about it..
it's always a little unnerving to be led into the unknown..
She didn't even have time to wait for me at the bottom of the
ladder.. and I know found myself in this room with stone walls,
floor and ceiling, almost like some kind of.. tomb or whatever this
is supposed to be..
The room I now found myself in was only lit
up by two torches on either side of a door on the wall farthest away
from me. For some reason on either side of the door were two big
rocks.. If I didn't know any better I would almost have thought that
the rocks were delibaretly placed there to guard the door and
whatever was behind it.. but rocks are just rocks... dead and
immobile objects that can't guard anything.. unless they were
arranged in a way to create a trap.. but this didn't look like a
trap.. I hoped...
"Samantha...? What is this..?" I tried to call for her, assuming she had just gone through that door.. because where else could she have gone? There was no other way to move forward..
"This isn't funny..." I said, realizing just how much I sounded like a character from a movie that was either going to walk directly into some kind of trap... or a surprise birthday party or something.. except today wasn't my birthday and I can not imagine that Samantha would set up a trap for me.. and I thought we were supposed to go fishing...
Maybe this was a test of some kind... well, I couldn't look like a coward so.. I slowly walked my way up to that door and tried the handle to carefully open it...
..only to find another dungeon like room, kind of sparsely furnished with a dining table and four dining chairs, some old couch,, a coffe table, a bookshelf and a refrigerator, meaning that this place must have some electrical wiring. Not what I expected, but then again.. I didn't really know what to expect..
"Welcome, have a seat" Samantha said while sitting on one of the dining chairs and turning a page in the book she was reading. "This is our little.. place. I thought I could show it to you know that we've become family.. this little cave is a little hangout in case of bad weather, that's all" she said without lifting her eyes from the book "It's also a perfect place to retreat to study, quiet and peaceful. I have always gone here to study for my exams when things got to noisy in the dormitory..."
"Yeah, I can see that....this place could certainly be useful. It looks.. cosy.." I replied, doing my best to sound like I meant what I said.. I didn't want to say anything upsetting. It was different, charming maybe, but I wouldn't call it cosy.. not to much, but I understood so much that this was a place that felt important to Samantha, and I was appreciative of her showing it to me, to us..
"Well, I don't know if I'd call it cosy... but it is practical, you know." she said "It has been so for a few generations.. like a den that are close to good fishing and huntig grounds, atleast that's how it used to be.. Nowadays you can sort of think of it as a... cabin, or just a place to retreat to get some peace it and quiet.."
"I see.. we don't have a cabin, but I think it's kind of
like how my parents decided to move to Sunset Valley from the city..
to live a more relaxed life, like 'medicine for the soul' as my
father called it.." I said, knowing that there were a few more
reasons for us moving, such as mom needing a change of environment to
cope with her addiction, and me.. having exhausted every opportunity
to fit in and not be an outcast at any of the nearby schools in the
city.. I could definately understand the need for a safe and quiet
retreat for when things got rough..
It couldn't have been better.. the three of us now agreeing to
form our own little study group down here in this little hideout. All
of us a little weird in our own ways... we spent the entire afternoon
and evening there studying for our exams, in complete silence
(ignoring the low hum from the refrigerator) only on occasion
interrupted by pages being turned and the low rumble of some distant
thunder from outside...
..until it became to hard to focus on reading due to a different kind of rumble. I didn't want to raid the refrigerator there, I didn't even know what was in it, so I suggested to Samantha that we should head back to our dorm and order some take away, maybe some chicken or pizza or something..
We hadn't done any fishing and there was no oven down here.. and
the weather outside wasn't excactly barbecue weather.. and this place
didn't look like it had a bedroom, even though Samantha had sort of
referred to it as a cabin, so we couldn't spend the night here
either.. and even if we could, I don't know if I would have.. yet..
Luckily everyone agreed and thought my suggestion was a good idea.. they must have been as starving as I was, if not more.. so it was back past the guardian stones as they had now become in my mind, up the ladder, through brambles and down the hill to my car who was still parked along the side of the road to drive back home to our dorm now, all three of us...
Oh, we were definately hungry... and yes, the obvious idiom did spring to mind, but even if nobody else but me will read this... I don't want to use it, not here in this setting.. so, either way, pizza it was..
..and we need not worry about anything. There would always be
plenty of opportunities later to spend a nice day outside fishing, as
Samantha said... the lake, the fish and the secret refuge, none of
them were going anywhere...
...good night. ;)
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